College football experts question officiating in final minutes of Georgia's comeback win vs. Georgia Tech

Friday night saw one of the all-time rivalry games at Sanford Stadium. Georgia came all the way back and knocked off Georgia Tech in the annual Clean Old Fashioned Hate game in 8OT – but it wasn’t without some controversy.

Before the Bulldogs scored the game-tying touchdown in the fourth quarter, Carson Beck threw an incomplete pass intended for Arian Smith. As he threw the ball, it appeared one of the offensive lineman got hold of a defender’s jersey, which some college football experts thought warranted a holding penalty.

However, the referees didn’t throw the flag. Two plays later, Georgia scored to tie the game and eventually force overtime.

Lots of late-game officiating calls/no-calls in Athens will be scrutinized heavily over the coming days. https://t.co/EG1yyNeJ57

— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) November 30, 2024

Screamed at the TV over this. Bad miss. https://t.co/b3WLJRVtiM

— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) November 30, 2024

That wasn’t the only time the officiating came into question, though. There was an earlier play that helped get Georgia inside the 10-yard line when Dominic Lovett drew a pass interference flag. It might not necessarily have been clear-cut, though.

Pass interference or nah? pic.twitter.com/crxI43V0Y0

— Barrett Sallee 🇺🇸 (@BarrettSallee) November 30, 2024

Bad officiating aside, GT has had its chances throughout the game to put this one away. Dominant effort but it comes down to executing in key moments. Let’s see what OT brings.

— Andrea Adelson (@aadelsonESPN) November 30, 2024

Another key play happened in the fourth quarter to set up Georgia’s final scoring drive. Dan Jackson laid a big hit on Haynes King and forced a fumble, giving the Bulldogs the ball back just before the two-minute timeout. As he went for the ball, he appeared to lower his head, which led to questions about whether it warranted a targeting review.

The officials went to the monitor, but it was to confirm UGA had possession and to check the time on the clock. No targeting review was mentioned, and the Bulldogs went down to score a crucial touchdown.

No review of targeting on Haynes King?

Very curious if that was even discussed pic.twitter.com/XhaFprWBiK

— Trey Wallace (@TreyWallace_) November 30, 2024

Ref show

— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) November 30, 2024

It took eight overtimes, but Georgia eventually held on to get the 44-42 victory over its in-state rival. In the final overtime period, UGA kept Georgia Tech out of the end zone, and Nate Frazier punched it in to – at long last – seal it. The Bulldogs now have an easier path to the College Football Playoff and can clinch a first-round bye in next week’s SEC Championship against either Texas or Texas A&M.